Resurrecting the “Compromise Plan” to Legitimize Commercial Whaling

The agenda for the 2011 annual meeting of the IWC has been published and much to the surprise of the conservation NGO community, it includes a Resolution by Chile, New Zealand, and the United States to “Maintain Progress on the Future of the IWC” (the ‘Future of the IWC’ being an innocuous name for the “Compromise Plan” advanced during the 2010 meeting to suspend the international ban on whaling for a period of ten years). The Obama Administration, led by IWC Commissioner Monica Medina, spearheaded the initiative, which ultimately resulted in an impasse at last year’s meeting, owing in large part to the advocacy of the conservation community and the nine countries representing the Latin American voting block known as the “Buenos Aires Group”. The language of the Resolution is vague and non-committal at this point, and does not reflect specific recommendations or positions of any IWC contracting government at this time. However, it does sufficiency convey the intent to resurrect a second negotiated ‘deal’ with whaling nations at some point down the line – whether in 2011 or beyond – and consequently, we would be remiss in our mission of protecting whales if we failed to adequately develop a strategy for meeting this challenge again. I will surely be reporting on developments concerning this important issue.

It is a privilege and an honor to represent the American Cetacean Society, its members, and millions of U.S. citizens who care about the protection of whales at this year’s annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission, from Monday, July 11th through Friday, July 15th in St. Helier, Channel Island of Jersey, UK. As is my practice, I will provide real-time updates during the meeting at my IWC blog: “IWC: The World is Watching” (www.iwcblogger.wordpress.com), via Twitter (www.twitter.com/CetaceanSociety), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/AmericanCetaceanSociety).

Thank you so much – for supporting ACS in its mission to protect whales – and for caring about the safety and welfare of whales everywhere!

Hi Teresa! ACS and other whale protection organizations with Whales Need US (WNUS) Coalition work closely with IWC Commissioner Monica Medina and other delegates to ensure that the voice of “Civil Society” is heard – loud and clear. These efforts are ongoing, even outside of the realm of IWC. I’ll keep you posted on the status of this issue, for sure! Thanks for stopping by the blog. -cm

Resurrecting the “Compromise Plan” to Legitimize Commercial Whaling … That headline and only 3 comments worries me. I try and stay hopeful Cetaceans worldwide will soon be protected from Japan,Norway and Iceland. Yes I do my part in helping but it really seems to me not enough people are and the dream is getting no closer to a reality.